50. [Cratægus atrorubens] Ashe.
Leaves ovate, acute, usually rounded or sometimes cuneate or truncate at the broad entire base, coarsely and usually doubly serrate above, and often divided into 2 or 3 pairs of short acute lobes, about half grown when the flowers open late in April or early in May and then slightly roughened above by short scattered white hairs, and furnished below with conspicuous axillary tufts of pale tomentum, and at maturity thin, glabrous, dark dull green and smooth on the upper surface, light yellow-green on the lower surface, about 2′ long and 1½′ wide, or on vigorous shoots frequently 3′ long, and 2½′ wide, with a thin midrib and 4 or 5 pairs of slender primary veins; petioles slender, nearly terete, more or less densely villose early in the season, soon becoming glabrous, 1′—1½′ in length. Flowers about ⅝′ in diameter, on slender elongated villose pedicels, in broad loose glabrous or villose corymbs; calyx-tube narrowly obconic, densely villose throughout or only at base with pale tomentum, the lobes short, acute, finely glandular-serrate, villose particularly on the inner surface; stamens 20; styles 4 or 5, surrounded at base by a narrow ring of pale tomentum. Fruit ripening and falling early in October, on slender pedicels, in drooping few-fruited clusters, subglobose to short-oblong, rounded at the ends, dark red; calyx somewhat enlarged, with spreading lobes usually deciduous before the fruit ripens; nutlets 4 or 5, thin, rounded and sometimes obscurely grooved on the back, about 3/16′ long.
A tree, sometimes 30° high, with a tall trunk 12′—18′ in diameter, covered with dark red-brown scaly bark, thin erect and spreading branches forming a compact rather narrow head, and slender glabrous branchlets marked by occasional dark lenticels, dark green more or less tinged with red when they first appear, soon becoming dark chestnut-brown and very lustrous, and bright reddish brown in their second year, and usually unarmed.
Distribution. St. Louis County, Missouri, and rich bottom-lands of the Mississippi River, St. Clair County, Illinois; not common.
51. [Cratægus ingens] Beadl.
Leaves obovate-oval or ovate, broadly or acutely cuneate at the entire base, crenately serrate above, and often slightly lobed toward the acute apex, about half grown when the flowers open at the end of April or early in May and then roughened above by short rigid hairs and villose below along the midrib, and the remote slender veins extending obliquely to the point of the lobes, and at maturity subcoriaceous, dark green and scabrate on the upper surface, paler and nearly glabrous on the lower surface, 1½′—2′ long, and 1¼′—1½′ wide; turning in the autumn yellow, orange, red, or brown; petioles stout, narrowly wing-margined to the middle, pubescent while young, becoming glabrous, about ¾′ in length; leaves at the end of vigorous shoots more deeply lobed and often 3′—3½′ long, and 2′ wide, with a stout broad-winged petiole sometimes 1½′ long. Flowers ½′—⅝′ in diameter, on slender hairy pedicels, in many-flowered compact hairy corymbs; calyx narrowly obconic, coated, especially toward the base with matted pale hairs, the lobes slender, elongated, acute, glandular with bright red glands, glabrous on the outer, sparingly villose on the inner surface; stamens 20; anthers deep rose color; styles 3—5. Fruit ripening in October, on stout puberulous pedicels, in few-fruited drooping clusters, globose to subglobose, red, about ⅜′ in diameter; calyx little enlarged, with reflexed appressed nearly glabrous lobes; nutlets 3—5, rounded or slightly grooved and ridged on the back, ¼′ long.
A tree, sometimes 25° high, with a trunk a foot in diameter, spreading branches forming a wide round-topped head, and unarmed branchlets covered at first with matted pale hairs, soon becoming glabrous, dark chestnut-brown.
Distribution. Moist woods and the low banks of streams; southeastern Tennessee and northwestern Georgia.